Pressured by lawsuits, EPA toughens pesticide rules to protect endangered species

Driven by tight court deadlines, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is radically remaking its approach to regulating pesticides, giving weight to their risk to endangered species. The effort is still in the early stages, but concrete enough that it has alarmed agricultural organizations, which fear widespread restrictions on where and how farmers can spray the chemicals. “It can potentially add really tremendous cost,” says James Cranney, head of the California Citrus Quality Council.

 Environmental groups hope the new regulatory approach will strengthen protections for species such as the rusty patched bumble bee, which used to occur widely over the north-central and eastern United States but for reasons including pesticide use, is now scattered across just a few states. “We’re thrilled that EPA is diving into this,” says Aimée Code, who heads the pesticide program at the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation...more